Bob decided that he wanted to go on a raft ride on the Colorado River today.  Yesterday he purchased tickets for an all day ride.  Susan decided that she would rather read and take it easy so she stayed at the camper.  She read 6+1 Traits of Writing for Primary Grades by Ruth Culham.

Our bus drove into Moab and stopped at the rafting center. We signed waivers and were given life jackets. They must be worn the entire time we were on the raft. Bob forgot his water bottle and the manager gave him one to use on the trip. The raft had water and food supplies for the trip onboard. We could refill the water bottles any time and the food was for lunch. We boarded another bus and then drove about twenty miles up the Colorado River northeast of Moab. Part of the raft trip would border Arches National Park. The river is in a steep valley between two mountain ridges for part of the time and other times one side flattens out. We would drift seven miles, stop for lunch and drift another seven miles to the finish. The ride would take most of the day.

Bob rode in a raft with the family he met on the bus and another couple from Europe. The woman was from England and her husband was from Ireland. Bob related our trip to England and that we had visited Stratford-Upon-Avon. During our time there, the Royal Shakespearian Repertory Theater was performing at the festival. We decided to buy tickets for that evening. However, the performance was sold out. At the last moment, the ticket office found there were two cancellations and we purchased the tickets for Othello. The woman said they lived very close to Stratford.

The float ride was mostly smooth, with class one and two rapids. These classes are usually not bumpy with only a little white water. The guide was the only person with oars and the rest of sat on the side of the raft and held on to the safety rope on the side. There were about six or seven other boats in our group and each boat had about three buckets. We found out what the buckets were for when we drifted up to another boat and started a water fight. We were one of the more aggressive boats. We decided not to attack the raft with senior citizens. There were impeccably dressed and stared us down when we floated by with the buckets at the ready. You couldn't douse your mother, could you?

To be continued. Time to to the Carlsbad Caverns!

OK, we are back from Carlsbad Caverns. What an incredible, amazing place. Anyway, our guide's name was Dustin, as in Dustin Hoffman. He was a third year college student at Idaho (or Montana) University, and his major is biology. He skis on ski boards in the winter and guides rafts down the Colorado in the summer. Not bad! In between the rapids, most of jumped in the water and drifted along side the raft. The water felt great. The temps were near 100° F and the water was around 65 ° F. With the life jackets, I could just float on my back and look up at the sandstone cliffs around me. The young girl with the family in the raft was fearless. She had two older brothers and spent most of the time in the water. They got along well and had a good time. She was small sized, and I thought she might be in second grade, but actually she was a fourth grader.

 Eventually, we beached the rafts and the half day passengers unloaded and another couple took their place for the afternoon part of the trip. The woman was a nurse and her husband was a psychiatrist. He was somewhat concerned about the difficulty of the rapids, so everyone told him how tough they were to cross. He held on for dear life on his knees until he saw them and realized we all had a sense of humor. We continued to floated in the water or in the raft until lunchtime.

When if was time to eat, we beached the rafts on the shore and all the guides carried folded tables, waterproof crates of food and drinks and set up the lunch buffet. The lunch consisted of cold cuts, lettuce, tomatoes, chips, pickles, potato and macaroni salad and cookies. There was plenty of food, since all the boats carried a portion of the supplies. We ate and the guides returned everything back to the rafts.

The afternoon part of the trip was similar to the morning. We had fewer water fights since everyone was getting tired. We mostly got the kayakers, since they had no buckets. They did use their oars, though. It was all in fun, since getting wet helped cool everyone in the heat. It was hot! The desert is a great place!

During the afternoon, we passed a raft that was stuck on a rock. Every raft beached and made sure they were able to get back in the current. One guide from another boat was out in the water helping when we passed by. All the rafts, even those from other concessionaires, stopped to help if they were needed. No one continued until the raft was safe and in the water. Eventually, we reached the end of the trip and passed by The All Day Eddy (or something like that). This is an eddy created by the currents of the river. Dustin said if a raft got caught in the eddy, it could be there all day. We got out of the raft onto the shore and quickly located the restrooms. Drinking water all day makes one needy. Also, we were told to use the Colorado if we needed to. I think that's why so many people were in the river between rapids.

We boarded a very crowded bus and rode back about five miles to Moab. I asked the driver to let me out at the campground, since they had picked me up there. The car was at the campground and I couldn't drive back.

PS
On the shore in two locations were expensive resorts with great views of the river and Arches National Park. One resort had a winery and we returned the next day to visit and attended a wine tasting. We also took pictures of the rafters, since Bob didn't want to take his camera on the float ride.